I chose to go with Cosmos, for no better reason than reps from a couple of others didn't get back to me, and this guy on the phone did his best to get a sale.
I did the Sat 22 Dec 07 - Thu 27 Dec 07 trip (5 nights / 6 days).
It was just me and my two children - the three of us - and we paid around £2600, and that was staying in the cheapest accomodation (no log cabins left).
Here we go:
BEFORE THE TRIP - bad attitude from Cosmos
The accounts department gave the date I needed to pay the full amount by. Even though I'm debt free, I'm savvy enough to keep £2800 earning 6% in a savings account for a month. On the Friday to pay I realised they'd charge a surcharge on my credit card. Although I could have gone overdrawn for a couple of days whilst the money shifted from my savings account to my current account, I nevertheless asked, "Are you OK if I paid next Tuesday?" I was invited to phone credit control who said it was fine - they seemed flexible. On the Tuesday, I just needed one more day (bank working days - I'd got it wrong) so I phoned up to ask if that was OK, or alternatively I would, of course, pay that same day - it just meant going overdrawn for a day. Clearly the bossyboots was in "debt collection mode": "You said you'd pay by today." "Yes, but I'm just asking for one more day as the funds haven't cleared." "Fine, if you don't pay the balance in full by tomorrow afternoon your holiday will be cancelled." I absolutely couldn't believe her attitude!! I felt humiliated and treated as if I were scum.
DAY 1/6 - SAT 22 DEC, LANDED... IN A CATTLEMARKET
At Gatwick Airport at 03:30am, it started well: they were handing out "Lapland" badges and we all had one. Then they were handing out santa hats. My two asked if I could have one, "No, they're only for children." My children were visibly taken aback at Cosmos's inflexibility: ermmm, we asked for a santa hat made out of cheap material, and me joining in with the kids' stuff is the way out family works - thanks Cosmos for your first disappointment, just 30 minutes into the trip...
Landing in Kittila, I just thought, "Oh my God... *OVERSOLD*". People standing in the queue outside the airport just to get out snowsuits and boots - it was a cattle market... And this was in minus 5 degrees. A thought for the older folk with poor circulation or those who are on the day trip to see Santa - queuing is not enjoyable...
The apartment was fine (but then again, that's out of the control of Cosmos... it was built by the Finnish!!) but we were in a rush to get to the welcome meeting. We got there, to discover that lunch wasn't taken into account... We were expected to wait until the evening meal at 6pm. We hadn't eaten anything except the breakfast on the plane. I asked hotel staff if we could have some of the stuff before they cleared everything away.
Then the welcome meeting, which sounded like promotion of the "optional extras". I wanted to buy the snowmobiling safari and husky dog safari anyway - although combined they were like £380 extra... I was standing at the back so I waited with the rep. Another customer joined us - obviously wanting to pay. The rep went away - presumably to get paperwork. When we noticed she wasn't coming back to us, we realised a queue had formed elsewhere - with another rep at the front with Visa machine taking payments. So, muttering at the stupidity of the lack of communication, we joined this other queue. The woman in front was, quite accurately, complaining at the ridiculousness of only having one visa machine for this many people (and again, "oversold" comes to mind). The person behind us I overheard relating his complaint of that morning that their room was appalling (missed the reason) and, only after persistence, did he get a log cabin - even though he'd originally asked for one but was told they were sold out !! I overheard him saying "It's reserved for senior management." I hate that: WE are the paying customers, but senior management make sure they get better deals than the rest of us? My respect for cosmos was falling to subzero - I was beginning to hate this, and so were others. I heard yet others complain about being told what to do, when to do it, which was stupid considering the money they'd paid for the trip.
I got to the front and paid.
That afternoon we went into the town of Levi and did some toboganning - NON COSMOS ORGANISED - we had the best fun all day !! Amazing: the only fun we had in the day was when we did our own thing and did not rely on Cosmos.
DAY 2 of 6 - SUNDAY 23rd - THE "INCLUDED" SNOWMOBILE SAFARI, HUSKEY DOG RIDES, etc.
This is the one included in the trip. Meet at 09:30, back at 11:30 - and there's a 20 minute bus journey there and another back, and there's walking involved. In those two hours we had ONE go on the huskeys, which was ONCE around a circular track which lasted approx 3 minutes; ONE go on the snowmobiles, which went about 6mph, in a bigger circle, which lasted approx 3 minutes, a rather pathetic reindeer sledge that was walked around the track (ONCE as usual) that lasted again approx 3 minutes, and a toboggan down a rather tame slope. And of course, the COSMOS reps treated us as if we were totally incompetent and incapable of even wiping our own bottoms as they, in typical english style, chose to wrap us all up in cotton wool. I tell you, we had far more fun on out own the afternoon before on the toboggans.
Anyway, Crowd Control - SIX coaches were there. It was all about moving masses of people and having us wait around for out 1x3 minute huskey, 1x3 minute snowmobile, 1x4 minute reindeer and 1xrather table toboggan rides (which you could get for free around Levi anyway and have far much more fun on the frozen pond!!). Again, OVERSOLD stood in my mind. Remember, from leaving resort and returning to resort took us TWO hours, all for this approx 10-15 minutes of activity??
We made our way back to the resort for 1130 and we were told we had the afternoon to ourselves. I wondered why they had packed in bad value for money in 2 hours and not expanded it to last the entire day?
DAY 3 of 6 - Monday 24th - ARCTIC CIRCLE CEREMONY and SEARCH FOR SANTA
Less people this morning at the arctic circle ceremony, and it was run by a local chap which was helpful, although of course the Cosmos reps were always around telling us to "mind your head" and totally interfere in allowing us to just get on with enjoying the experience. This one woman asked me to mind my head as I stepped into a wooden hut, and I sarcastically informed her, "Thank you, I just don't know how I've coped all my life without you." (I'm 39). But anyway, I cannot fault the ceremony, apart from the reps should have just perhaps said, "be back on the coach in one hour" instead of leading us around like the infant school teachers lead their children to the local swimming baths. STOP TREATING US LIKE INCOMPETENTS!!
That afternoon, In search of Santa. Again, this was a local attraction, and yes, it was VERY good. Well done the locals!! I have to say, I was liking the rep who was looking after us - he seemed rather normal and not really into the babysitting like the others. He seemed a nice chap. Matt from Stratford upon Avon: well done
Michelle (from Aldershot) accompanied him (she'd be taking us on the optionals tomorrow morning) - she was pleasant and seemed to allow us to enjoy Santa's village too. Santa's village is put on by the locals, and it showed. VERY VERY GOOD. Magical Day 4 of 6 - Christmas Day - MY OPTIONAL EXCURSIONS. Snowmobile and Husky Dogs
I learned that we'd overpaid. Not only had the local business received profits, but Cosmos had marked the trip up too (others booked separately). I felt cheated. But I have to say that it was locally organised, and yes it was great. What a shame THIS wasn't the included. About an hour at the huskey dog farm, and about 2-3 hours on the snowmobiles. Rather a shame that the other families who had paid approx £2500+ and couldn't afford this optional extra and they got cheated with the pathetic 3 minute rides...
OK - FINALLY SOME PRAISE: The Christmas Dinner in the evening. Apart from the Cosmos Reps liking the sound of their own voices on the mic and making it all sound tacky and made me just mutter, "Just bloody shut up..." when we FINALLY got to see Santa (some people were on their desserts before we'd even seen Santa, which came before we got out meal - see OVERSOLD!!!) - But the SANTA meet was, well, ok. We were alone in there for a few minutes. But at least the gifts were real: My kids got Guess Who and Twister, and I got this neat travel metallic chess/draughts/solitaire thing which I was pleased with. OK, at least they didn't give crap gifts
Day 5 of 6 - OUR OWN THING
Day 6 of 6 - plane back home.
Would we do it again with Cosmos?? Yes if we accepted that the included trips (apart from Santas Visit and the Arctic Circle) are a waste of time and money, that we HAVE to spend outside of Cosmos promotions to actually get some fun, and if we accepted that we're going to accept that the reps go into "Oh we have to babysit you because you're incapable of doing stuff yourselves" mode, and if you accept that it's way too oversold.
Actually, no - maybe we'd try a different company next time, of just book flights and hotel and do the rest ourselves rather than allow Cosmos to mess it up.
